Boating remains one of the favorite pastimes and hobbies for many people. However, as anyone who has ever owned or maintained a boat can attest, they take a great deal of time and money. Much of this time is spent either deploying or removing covers on the boat during periods of non-use. Whether for long term winter storage, or short term storage lasting only a few days, the act of deploying a cover takes a good deal of time. In fact, many boaters skip the covers for short periods of time because they feel it is not simply worth it, which leads to premature aging of the boat and a corresponding decrease in value. Accordingly, there is a need for a means by which boat covers, specifically for pontoon boats can be quickly and easily deployed by one person, no matter how short the storage duration lasts.
Several attempts have been made in the past to develop a manually-operated retractable cover assembly for protecting pontoon boats during non-operating conditions. U.S. Pat. No. 6,260,505 in the name of Polidan discloses a cover system for a pontoon boat having a rail. The cover system includes a framework for receiving a flexible material cover thereon. The framework has hollow end fittings engageable to brackets. Each bracket has a “U”-shaped configuration with inwardly projected protuberances along lateral ends to grasp the underside of the rail. The bracket has a center section between two lateral sections and the center section has a vertically extending portion thereon configured for being received into an end fitting. Unfortunately, this prior art example requires the structure to be affixed to the rails of the pontoon boat in a manner that does not allow the canopy to be moved in a telescoping manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,520,139 in the name of King, et al discloses a boat canopy which can be removeably mounted onto the gunwales of a boat, and which can be adjusted forward and backward into various positions. The canopy comprises a canvas top and a plurality of bows which are assembled as one piece, a plurality of leg supports, a plurality of clamps which clamp onto the gunwales, and a plurality of quick-disconnect pins which allow for easy assembly and disassembly. Unfortunately, this prior art example rises to a distance above a boat that does not allow the boat to be maneuvered beneath structures with low openings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,070,807 in the name of Lewis describes a lightweight, potentially expendable, temporary canopy assembly for small open type watercraft. The thin resilient battens are interconnected in the form of a bowed longitudinal ridge member having a plurality of shorter length, transversely disposed, longitudinally spaced, bowed rib members connected therewith, with the free ends of the battens, inserted through “D”-ring type attachment means provided on the inner periphery of the watercraft, while exerting frictional tension against the craft's gunwales areas. A flexible Nylon type cover comprised of selectively joinable half sections is used as the protective canopy. It uses preferably complementally mateable hooks and loops type manual fastener means, such as Velcro®-complemental fastener strips, to provide the selective attachment and detachment of the two halves over the bowed center ridge member, and also to detachably secure the canopy perimeter portions to the gunwale areas. The canopy half portions are adapted to be furled down from the center ridge and retained against the side gunwale areas by overlaid portions of a preexisting gunwale area peripherally extended safety line or cargo tie down rope. Unfortunately, this prior art example is not suitable for attachment to existing rails found on pontoon-type boats, and does not operate in a telescoping fashion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,612 in the name of Elsholz discloses a portable shelter that provides protection for users of an individual float tube or a pontoon style kick board. The shelter comprises a covering having transparent front panels, transparent side and rear panels, and translucent or opaque lower front panels, side panels and rear panels. A flexible longitudinal rod and transverse rod maintain the dome-like configuration of the shelter. It is easily mounted on the top surface of the tube by using the straps and side straps and by inserting the transverse rod into side pockets that are in turn inserted between the handles and the tube. A rear strap and side straps further secure the shelter to the tube. The front flaps open to provide access for fishing, hunting, photography, and the like, or they may be zipped shut for protection from the elements and greater concealment. Unfortunately, this prior art example is designed for use with individual sized floatation devices, and is not suitable for attachment to pontoon sized boats.
None of the prior art particularly describes a manually-operated retractable cover assembly for protecting pontoon boats during non-operating conditions. Accordingly, there is a need for an assembly which provides such features while overcoming the above-noted shortcomings.